As most of you know, my temporary home base currently is Isla Mujeres, Mexico where I happen to have become some sort of unofficial first responder to all sorts of maritime mishaps and emergencies. During this time I gained a lot of experience in salvaging, searching and rescuing. But before I share some of it (specifically on how to tow a sailboat) I wish to tell you a story. It all started with an incident that you may remember from my short story “Tied to a Rope of Sand” about Seefalke’s and mine unfortunate experience during tropical storm Gamma (that retrospectively was upgraded to hurric ..read more

Why didn’t I just say “no”?, I keep asking myself. I am sick. I can’t see my own face but I bet it is as greenish brown as the Sargasso seaweed that is spread all over my deck. I feel terrible. Cold sweat is running down my face. I remember the fun fact that it has the same salinity as the ocean around me. I hold on to the massive sea fence of Seefalke and get in position to relief myself one more time. As the chunks start shooting into the water I see their iluminescating trail. Beautiful! Even though I feel horrible I am fascinated. The sea always holds more surprises for you. I have seen bi ..read more

“Tattoos are only for sailors and criminals!”, is what my mom kept telling me when I was little. I always wanted a tattoo but had little ambitions to become a criminal so this is how I became a sailor. Sailor tattoos tell stories. They tell stories of toil and strive, accomplishments and passion. They also protect the sailor and absorb his fears. Every little detail has a meaning, some are very personal, others are universally understood and ultimately build the band of brotherhood at sea. Also a real sailor tattoo is never finished as the sailor completes more voyages and gathers accomplishme ..read more

The blistering sun is relentless, the broiling heat inevitable. Not too surprising. It is summer in Mexico after all. And still my mind has wandered off to distant shores in the cold. The book is written, I can finally take down my pen and prepare my next voyage. After the game is before the game. I have nine long months left until departure. It seems little compared to what I all need to do and learn to get prepared. Pilot charts of Greenland and northern Canada are spread out on my navigation table, the handbook “Arctic and Northern Waters” flipped open burying the “IMO Guidelines for Voyage ..read more

Passage planning is not only a good habit that is essential for every voyage. It is actually required by law in most countries of the world. All 164 countries that have ratified the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) require by law that the master of every sea-going vessel prepares a passage plan for every voyage. SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 34 is very clear about the definition of the word “every”. For all commercial and privately operated vessels that go to sea, no matter if the passage is just a few minutes or many weeks, a passage plan must be made. And it is the mas ..read more

It is done! “Birth of a Solo Sailor – A Voyage between Solitude and Loneliness” is now available on Amazon as ebook, paperback b&w and paperback in color. “Birth of a Solo Sailor” will take you on a sailing voyage from the equatorial rainforest in Suriname to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. It is divided into three parts: Part One: “On a Mission” covers the fast pace segment from Domburg, Suriname to Key West, Florida, USA fulfilling my promise to deliver the dogs Cap’n Jack and Scout home safely. In Part Two: “Culture Clash” I am on home leave in Germany, experiencing irritation and confusio ..read more

Without doubt Mexico is a great and diversified sailing destination. If there just was not the hassle of checking-in. Mexico sure has one of the most lengthy check-in procedures in the Caribbean. Also the information provided through official channels often is inconsistent or outdated. During the COVID-lockdown in 2020 there was an intense and fruitful exchange between the cruisers and the authorities in Isla Mujeres, the most frequented sailing destination in the Mexican Caribbean. After the lockdown, a few other cruisers and me developed this Check-in Guide for Cruisers in co-operation with ..read more

By Amar Qamar CRASHING waves… SMASHING seas… Bringing sailors to their knees. As they struggle to save their lives Hoping and praying, help arrives. The stormy seas as dark as coal,  Preventing the sailors from reaching their goal. Battered and bruised, but still they fight… Staring ahead, into the dead of night. Rocking and rolling as they try to stand… Hoping against hope, that they soon reach land. Bleary eyed from lack of sleep. Down in their cabins, huddled like sheep. As they’re rocking and rolling down beneath Weary sailors above, resist with gritted teeth. hours later, as the stor ..read more

By Annette Wynne Sometimes I think I’d like to roam, A sailor bold across the sea, But how could Mother stay at home And be so very far from me? For who would sing my sleepy song, And tuck me in my sailor bed, And say God watches all night long, And kiss me when my prayers are said? I wonder if the sailor lad Is very, very lonely when The loud wind blows; and is he sad, And does he long for home again? So, after all, I would not roam, Until I’m eight to seas afar, While I am seven I’ll stay at home Where Mother and her kisses are. Photo taken on December 09, 2019, North Atlantic Ocean, south o ..read more

By Alfred Tennyson Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark! And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark; For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar. Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of ..read more